FGC
2019 – Present and future of a cutting-edge railway network
The changes undergone by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya network over the last forty years are obvious: most of the stations and facilities have been refurbished, the platforms have been lengthened and everything has been adapted to cater for people with reduced mobility. Moreover, all the work has..Read more
2016 – From Lleida to La Pobla. New regional mobility
Recently, with the entry into service of the new Stadler coaches, 2016 was when FGC finally took over the running of the railway line between Lleida and La Pobla de Segur. The line had been opened as far as Balaguer in the year 1924 and to La Pobla nearly thirty..Read more
2008 – Growth in Tourism and Mountain
In 2008 the Núria rack train underwent a veritable revolution which placed it back at the forefront of European mountain railways. The opening of the new Roc del Dui tunnel made it possible to increase the reliability of operations and replaced the old route with its large areas vulnerable to..Read more
2005 – The Cement Train
The Alt Llobregat Tourist Train, better known as the Cement Train, has a very narrow gauge of 600 mm, making it FGC’s smallest railway line. It was opened on 10th July 2005 and immediately became one of the area’s top tourist attractions. The name comes from its historical origins, which..Read more
2003 – The new Montserrat rack train
2003 saw the reopening of one of Catalonia’s best-known railways, the Montserrat rack train, which very soon became even more popular than its predecessor. The old rack train, which had come into service in 1892, worked with steam locomotives and wooden carriages. The company behind it, Ferrocarriles de Montaña a Grandes..Read more
1999 – Ski resorts. Competition and tourism
At the end of the nineties, the need to offer a large skiing resort able to compete with the top European resorts led to the planning of new facilities and lifts at La Molina. The biggest job was the construction and commissioning of the La Molina cable car in 1999..Read more
1998 – A funicular company
On the threshold of the 21st century, FGC had a series of cable-driven transport systems, both funiculars and cable cars which, even though they had been updated and worked well, underwent a comprehensive modernisation process. In 1998 the Vallvidrera funicular, which was built by the same company as the famous Tren..Read more
1996 – From the Vallès Metro to the Baix Llobregat Metro
In the mid-nineties the FGC networks entered a new era with the opening of the Vallès Metro on 25th June 1996 and the Baix Llobregat Metro on 3rd November 1998. The new services represented a major change in the way the networks were operated, perhaps the biggest since it began,..Read more
1986 – Snow and mountains. The Núria rack train
In 1986, by taking over the Núria rack train, FGC took the first step to becoming one of the most varied railway companies in the world, as it was not only taking over a new means of transport but also a new kind of service connected with tourism and mountain..Read more
1985 – The modernisation of the Ferrocarrils Catalans network
On the old Ferrocarrils Catalans line and the Llobregat-Anoia line, FGC also embarked on a comprehensive refurbishment plan which included a series of measures to modernise both trains and stations which in some cases, like the line between Martorell and Igualada, were made urgent by the state of the infrastructure. Thus,..Read more
1983 – The 111 series. The first FGC trains
On the Barcelona-Vallès network, where some of the line’s original Brill trains were still running with new coachwork, in the eighties FGC undertook an ambitious modernisation plan which envisaged both the complete reconstruction of the tracks and replacement of rolling stock. This plan led to the arrival in 1983 of the..Read more
1979 – Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya is born
The new public company Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) was set up on 5th September 1979 and immediately took over the running of the narrow-gauge network in Catalonia managed by FEVE. The transfer process can be said to have begun in 1975, with the beginning of the new..Read more
1977 – The period of decline and closures
The railway networks of Catalonia survived the difficult post-war period, marked by a lack of resources and basic supplies, even embarking on different modernisation processes in the fifties. However, they did not survive the seventies. The drying-up of investments, rising operating costs and the fare policies imposed by the Spanish..Read more
1863 – The Tren de Sarrià. The origins of the FGC rail network
The railway came to Catalonia in the mid-19th century as a result of the industrial and population growth that was spreading around the country. In 1863 the Sarrià line was opened, the first part of what is now the FGC network. This train, which connected Barcelona to what was then..Read more